Wall display



Aug. 19, 1958 G, ELLER'MAN 2,847,780

WALL DISPLAY Filed Jan. 27, 1958 United States Patent WALL DISPLAY Frank G. Ellerman, Evanston, Ill.

Application January 27, 1958, Serial No. 711,256

2 Claims. (Cl. 40-125) This invention relates in general to a wall display and it is more particularly described as a star pointed wall display clock, the decorative features of which, although they relate particularly to a clock, may also be applied to other similar wall displays.

This invention is particularly described as a display having alternating long and short star points releasably attached to and radiating from a central dotted support with a display face on the support having designations on the support which project through a separate face to produce an attractive design and in which the star points are removable for compact storage and shipment, and for convenient assembly and replacement.

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to produce a display of this kind preferably constructed of plastic materials covered or coated on their outer exposed surfaces with attractive metal appearing surfaces arranged for alternate projection of long and short spears which may be easily applied and removed by inserting them in slots at their bases where they will remain firmly in place producing an attractive and pleasing appearance.

A further object of the invention is to apply this decorative principles of this invention to a central support having radiating spires or projections and also having a central portion with distinct coated or metal-like projections which extend through apertures in a decorative face or cover.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a design surface upon a support having a slotted flange to seat projecting spires therein with the face of the support having display projections which extend through a perforated face or decorated cover to produce a clock face or other similar display portions.

Still a further object of the invention is to produce a wall clock, the face of which comprises different designations of hour hand designations by projections from the face of a central support through corresponding perforations in a wall in an outer cover or face which is attached to the support, the support having a flange with radiating star-like spears around the periphery with a clock attached to the under side of the support and having operating hands projecting through the cover face to move over the hour in the decorative cover.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a display of this kind which has display parts extending in a wide area when assembled for use, the parts being readily assembled to complete the structure and easily taken apart by unskilled workmen and without tools for compact packaging, economical storage and simple and easy assembly whenever desired.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the specification and will be apparent from the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a wall display in accordance with this invention and showing a central clock face;

2,847,780 Patented Aug. 19, 1958 Fig. 2 is a partial side elevation as taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detailed perspective view of the under side of the display of Fig. 1 showing the means for connecting the alternate long and short star points; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the construction showing the projection of decorative means from the central support through a separate cover therefor.

This invention is particularly described in connection with a clock display which has a central circular support with radiating removable star points carried in the periphery of the support and having projections from the outer face of the support adapted to protrude through a separately applied cover face to represent hour markers with the clock concealed at the rear and within the periphery of the support and having hands extending centrally from the support at the front thereof and movable over the outside of the cover or face.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a central circular support 11 has a peripheral flange 12 in which are alternate long slots 14 and short slots 16 equally spaced around the periphery and extending into the flange from the rear side of the support. Each long slots seats a short star point 18 therein and each short slot seats a long star point 20 therein, the star points being thus arranged in alternate long and star point series extending in separate planes from the periphery. The star points or other projections may be arranged in different patterns if desired, depending upon the particular displays which are used.

Each long and short projection or point is formed with an interior hollow body open at the rear side and with outwardly inclined surfaces converging to a point at the outer end and an inner abutment 22 having a curved outer face 24 conforming to the peripheral curvature of the flange 12. Projecting centrally from the outer face of each abutment is a head 26 connected by a neck 28, the neck being of a width to fit closely but slidably into one of the long or short slots 14 or 16 and the inner surface 39 of the head conforming to and closely engaging the inner peripheral surface of the flange 12. The neck 28 is elongated or rectangular and of a width to be seated closely in a slot 14 or 16 to which it is applied, thus frictionally engaging its star point to radiate from the peripheral flange and to be held frictionally releasable in the slot. When the long and short star points are alternately assembled in the slots, the short star points being seated in the deeper slots are at the front of the display in advance of the longer star points 20 which are assembled in the shorter slots and the rear faces of the long star points are preferably flush with the rear edge of the flange 12.

At least one of the long star of one of the long points 20 is provided with a plate 32 attached between the rear edges and to the inner abutment 22 and is provided with aperforation 34 to provide means for supporting the display against a wall or other upright surface by means of a nail or screw head or other similar supporting projection.

In preparing this display for a clock 36 which may be either an electric or an eight day clock, the central portion of the face of the support may be omitted forming an opening 33 with quarterly projections 40 spaced equally apart in the face to the ends of which the clock 36 is secured and preferably positioned by opposite projections 42 which engage notches 44 in the rim of the clock casing.

Projecting from the opposite or outer face of the support 10, both in the quarterly projections 40 and in the adjacent portion of the support are diamond shaped projections which may represent quarterly hour positions of a clock face between which in the adjacent surface of the circular support 10 are circular projections 48 representing the hour positions of a clock between the diamond projections 46.

Applied over the outer surface of the central support 10, closing the central opening 38 except at the center thereof for a clock hand projection is a cover or face 50 having diamond openings 52 corresponding to the diamond projections 46 and circular openings 54 corresponding and registering with the circular projections 48 of the support, both of these diamond and circular projections extending beyond the outer surface of the cover or face 50 so that when they are painted, colored, metalized or otherwise distinctly marked, they will produce an attractive pattern as that of a clock or other display at the outer side of the face 50.

This cover or face 50 is preferably adhesively secured to the outer surface of the circular support 10 and it has a flange 56 about its outer edge which slightly overlaps the outer edge of the support 10 but does not extend sufficiently to cover or obstruct the inner ends of the longer slots 14. Projecting centrally from the clock 36 at the back of the support and through the center of the outer face 50 is a threaded stem 58 mounting a knurled nut 60 which is moved against the outer face 50 to hold the works of the clock in engagement at the rear side of the support, the stem also providing means for mounting an hour hand 62, a minute hand 64 and a second hand 66 for movement about the clock face in a well known manner.

In partially assembling this display for storage or shipment prior to assembly in the hands of a purchaser, the clock 36 is assembled in connection with the circular support 10 and its cover or face 50 by adhesively attaching the face to the front of the support 10, inserting the stem 58 through the cover or face, attaching it and the hands in place by means of the knurled nut 60 which is threaded on the stem 58, thereby holding the flange of the clock in non-rotative engagement with the projection 46. All of the star points 18 and may be disengaged from their slots 14 and 16 and wrapped in a package or packages for inclusion with the clock and the support or if desired, one of the long star points 18, preferably the one which has the suspending plate 30 secured thereto may be assembled with the support 10 and the two adjacent short star points 18 may also be assembled and thus included with the support and the clock face to show how the other star points may also be assembled in connection with the slots of the support 10.

With this construction, a complete display is provided in which the projecting star points cover a considerable area and present a novel, pleasing and attractive appearance when the star points are all assembled in an alternating or other distinctive pattern, the star points are easily and quickly inserted in the slots, held therein by frictional engagement and prevented from rotative movement in the individual slots because of the engagement of the inner and outer curved abutting surfaces, and the frictional engagement of the star points is such that they may be readily inserted and thus held in place is easily removed from the slots of the flange 12 Whenever it is desired to pack or disassemble the parts of the display for any purpose.

Although this display has been described more particularly as a starlight or a sunburst clock, the central portion may be some other design such as a mirror, a partially curved or ball surface, a painting, photograph frame or any other desired display preferably one adapted to be supported upon a vertical wall. Although the spires and the supporting parts are described as formed of plastic material, they are preferably coated or finished on the outer or exposed sides to represent shiny metal and if the exposed surfaces of the star points, the projections 40 and 42 and the clock hands are coated to represent a golden or gilded metal, the outer surface of the support 10 is coated to represent silver, and the face 50 of the clock is black, the entire assembled display produces a striking and very pleasing ornamental assembly. Instead of a circular support, it may be square, rectangular or some other shape from which the spires or star points will be seated in similar slots in a flange but will extend at right angles thereto instead of radiating from a circular support.

While a preferred construction has been described in some detail, it should be regarded as an illustration or example rather than as a limitation or restriction of the invention, since various changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A' wall display comprising a support with a circular flange having alternate slots extending from the free edge of the flange, a plurality of display members extending radially outward from the support and each having a head with a reduced neck slidably engaging a slot of the flange, and the surfaces of the head adjacent the neck closely engaging the opposite inner and outer curved surfaces of the flange to frictionally hold the member firmly against rocking movement and manually releasable for attachment and disconnection, said alternate slots being of different lengths from the open edges thereof arranging the display members in relatively different planes, and the head portions of the display members outside of the flange overlapping the adjacent members on each side thereof.

2. A wall display in accordance with claim 1 in which there are two sets of relatively long and short slots and display members comprising spires of different lengths,

the spires of one length having their heads inserted in the long slots and the spires of the other length having their heads inserted in the short slots and overlapping the heads inserted in the long slots and the alternate spires being projected in two parallel planes from the support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1956 issue. (Copy in Design Div.) 

